" lee " When I kept bees in mich [ lower] I figured to leave about 100 lbs on them for winter. I used 2 Deeps as brood chambers and if the top chamber was packed full of honey and the bottom chamber 2/3 full that was enough.

If you live in a cold climate with a large cluster of Italians, it's typical to leave them between 100 and 150 pounds of stores. This is usually too much, but there is also the issue on that particular hive. Some hives start brood rearing early. A frame of honey will last a dormant cluster a couple of months. A frame of honey will get burned up rearing a frame of brood in about a week and a half. A hive that decides to rear a lot of brood will go through stores like crazy. That same hive (if it doesn't starve) may make a bumper crop of honey because of the nice population going into the flow (depending on when your flow is). Trying to be too frugal on leaving stores can not only lose that hive, but also that really good crop.

If you live in a cold climate with a large cluster of Italians, it's typical to leave them between 100 and 150 pounds of stores.

10 kg = 22 lbs

That cannot be true. Canadian aid says: "The total weight of two supers, lid, bottom, honey, pollen and bees should be at feast 125 pounds."http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3946?opendocument

In Finland if we get that much of honey it is a good yield. If we leave it into hive, what is the idea, and we even have not. In really cold climate honey yield is about 50-70 lbs.

I think that we have cold climate and long winter. 45 lbs sugar is enough for September to the end of May.

If you have uninsulated hives, consumption is 50% bigger = 68 lbs.

We are at the front of beekeeping. I suppose, it is cold here. I have italians and they manage very well here. In my area temperature is normally over -4F.

If you have cold climate you need not much honey but

* insulated hives* 1 or 2 deep for winter. No extra room.* sugar instead of honey * proper ventilation (no jars upp, or empty boxes or exluders)* a bee stock that is able to over winter in that climate.* not windy place

If you have really cold climate where temperature is for long period lower than -30F, we use some kind of shelter.

As for ventilation I drill a 3/4 inch hole just blow the handholds of any box above the bottom one, including supers. You can also jam a few pop-sicle sticks on the rim of the inner cover to previde a space just large enough for the moisture to escape. The last option I've heard about is to slide the upper box back making a 1/8 inch crack between the hive bodies. This supposedly alows moist air to escape but, I've never tried it.

I only use one hole just below the hand hold and as for needing holes to prevent nosema. I think the greater risk is for disentary, nosema is only infects honeybees that drink in nosema infested water. Down here, upper entrences are more of a preference than a need. All 40 hives in the local assosiation don't have upper entrences. I just use them because I feel that they help ventilation as in the evaporation of nectar, and previde some exaust on hot days.